The Camelot Detective Agency
by Phantomdance
Summary: Gwen and Merlin were the two most observant characters in the show for the first 2 seasons and I really wanted to write something that focuses on their friendship since it seemed to disappear throughout the show. So why not create some stories about how they low-key do some detective work in Camelot? Set in season 2 and loosely follows what happens. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: This will be a collection of stories about some of the mysteries that I made up that would be solved by Gwen and Merlin; the low-key detectives. If you all like it, then let me know and i'll continue writing it. Also, I'm from the US so apologies for any US mannerisms._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or anything that is recognizable from the show._

Their detective work took off after they exposed the truth behind the Witchfinder. Though, "took off" might be a bit strong but Merlin did like a more positive outlook. Before the Witchfinder, he would just find things for people very quickly, with or without magic. A noble woman calling him over while he was already running late with Arthur's breakfast was inconsolable about her missing necklace. Merlin promised her he'd be right back, he ran (without tripping) to Arthur's chambers, ripped open the doors with much force (and a little bit of magic) which caused Arthur to fall out of bed in an attempt to defend himself from the potential threat of Merlin. Merlin placed the tray onto the table shouted a "Sorry Sire!" over his shoulder as he left, slamming the doors behind him before Arthur could even get a word in edgewise. He figured that Arthur was definitely awake after that and could manage for a bit. He made it back to the noble woman calling from down the hall "Where did you last have it?" which he knew was inappropriate of him but the Lady seemed faintly pleased with his eagerness.

It turns out when they retraced her steps she had accidentally dropped it behind her vanity.

She had been leaving soon to return to her own estate with her father Lord Evans and she was pleased that Merlin found it. She even offered for him to come work for her which he declined quickly and politely but not to potentially ruin her good opinion of him, he had offered to carry her remaining things down for her which she accepted. On the way down, every person she passed she spoke of how Merlin found her necklace for her which embarrassed Merlin greatly. When they were outside and Merlin loaded the carriage with her bags was when Arthur showed up, fully dressed and angry. But again that day Arthur was doomed not to be able to speak because before he could yell at Merlin, Lady Katherine was singing his praises and apologizing for stealing Arthur's manservant for the morning. Her rapid speech seemed to make Arthur weary and he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Oh! I haven't really given you a reward, have I?" Lady Katherine said. "Name your price, Merlin."

Merlin thought for a moment before giving her a mischievous grin which she returned. "Just spread the word, that I'm the best finder in all of Camelot!" He said.

Arthur groaned while both servant and Lady laughed.

"You know what, I think I will. I hope your business picks up soon since you have such a well-established benefactor." Lady Katherine giggled. She then bid her farewell to both Merlin and Arthur as she climbed into the carriage. When she was out of sight, Arthur grabbed Merlin and dragged him back towards the castle while saying

"Finding necklaces now, Merlin? As if I needed more proof that you were a girl? Come on, you have chores to do."

The experience with the witchfinder only cemented one fact about Merlin and Gwen. If there was a mystery to solve, you went to them. The heads of the Camelot Detective Agency.

 _This is just a little introduction, it's not the greatest thing you'll ever read and who cares if "Detective Agency" is a bit too modern for the times. I'm rolling with it._


	2. Chapter 2

_Arthor's note: Hi! Here's the first part of the story. I'm going to say I'll be slow to update and that could be a lie or it could be the truth. Only time will tell. Thank you for the reviews, I do appreciate them._

The Case of the Missing Dragon's Scale (Part 1)

Merlin and Gwen went for a walk through the lower town. It was midday and the streets were alive with people bustling about and selling goods. The sun was warm on Merlin's face as he walked arm in arm with Gwen as they wandered over to each stall. One stall was set up by a travelling merchant who carried many brightly colored and unique items that ranged from vibrantly dyed cloth to jewelry made from stones and shells. The merchant eyed the pair of them with a knowing look as he took in their attached position. He gestured for the pair to come over, while he winked at Gwen who giggled and glanced at Merlin who just rolled his eyes. People were always going to think they were a couple, it doesn't matter that Gwen kissed Arthur. _Though,_ Merlin thought, _it's probably better this way so people would leave Gwen be._ Merlin had seen with his own eyes how crazy royals could be when it comes to marrying people and relationships in general. They walked over to the enthusiastic merchant who started to speak.

"See anything you like, miss? I'm sure there must be something here that has caught your eye." The man smiled at Gwen and then gave Merlin another look that screamed _Be a good lad and buy your lady something._ Merlin sighed and put his hand into his pocket, prepared to pay for whatever Gwen is interested in.

Gwen noticed this movement and said kindly, "You don't have to buy me anything, Merlin."

But Merlin shook his head softly and smiled at her one of his goofiest smiles. The one where anyone looking at him couldn't help but smile back and Gwen did smile back. Won over by her friend's earnest yet somehow still goofy, look. "Okay, but only this once." She spoke and then turned her attention to the merchant's wares.

The merchant gleefully started to explain his items. "Here we have some of the finest cloth, feel how soft it is, miss? It has been dyed by the finest materials in shades of red, blue, and purple." Then the merchant gestured to his other items. "Over here is the jewelry. It is made from sea shells which are a rare commodity so far inland that Camelot is. They've been turned into necklaces."

Gwen ooh'd and ah'd at all the right times but Merlin watched as one of the items actually caught her interest. It was one of the necklaces that had a shell on the end that was very shiny, it glinted in the sunlight. Merlin's eyes widened as he focused on the item, he couldn't believe it was a sea shell. It started off as this silver, shiny color but as Gwen turned it, more colors appeared. There were blues, pinks and even reds that appeared on the initially silver shell.

The merchant noticed Gwen's interest and explained without any prompting, "These are called the Dragon's Scales of the Sea. They're famous for changing color in the sun. They're the most magical thing that doesn't hold any magic at all that can be found easily on the shores." The merchant offered.

Gwen tore her eyes away from the necklace to look at Merlin who was staring in awe at the necklace. When Merlin comprehended that Gwen was looking at him, he didn't hesitate in paying for the necklace. The merchant grinned as he accepted Merin's money and bid them a good day as Gwen excitedly handed the necklace to Merlin who put it on Gwen for her. When Merlin held it in his hand, he quickly checked to make sure that there was in fact no magic in the shell. It would be awful if this actually turned out to be a scale of a dragon. Those scales held their magic even after the dragon died and only a powerful sorcerer could properly wield that sort of power. He knew this because today a Lord and Lady brought a dragon scale to King Uther. But Merlin could sense no magic, it truly was just a shell.

As they got closer to the castle, Merlin noticed how Gwen wrapped her shawl tighter around herself, obscuring the necklace from view. Merlin raised an eyebrow at this behavior and Gwen quickly explained. "It looks magical even though it is just a shell. Last thing I need is more attention drawn to myself."

Merlin nodded his head in agreement. As they entered the citadel, some of the guards smiled at them. Merlin was almost confidant that he and Gwen were the most gossiped about couple that wasn't actually together at this point. They went first back to the physician's chambers where Gwen decided to leave the necklace for the time being and would take it back home with her after she was free to leave for the night. Merlin put it underneath the floorboards while Gwen waited outside of Merlin's room. No point in taking any undue risks. Especially since a Lord was claiming to have an actual Dragon's scale. Arthur had mentioned it to Merlin after a private meeting this morning that he was not allowed in. It was only open to some Lord and Lady, Uther's most trusted knights, Prince Arthur, Lady Morgana, and Gaius. When Merlin originally heard that Gaius was to be a part of this meeting, he figured that magic would be involved. He didn't think it would be magic of this magnitude. So when Merlin and Gwen were both about to leave for their duties (after successfully hiding the necklace and Merlin even shifted the bed to cover the floorboards), Gaius walked in and the warning bell started to toll. Merlin figured that everything, as always, had gone horribly wrong.

Gaius raised an eyebrow at both Gwen who practically jumped into Merlin's arms when the bell rang and Merlin before saying, "I'm glad that you two are back. The dragon scale has gone missing."

***Super dramatic pause that would normally cut to commercial break but this isn't a tv show so roll with it***

"It's best that all magical things in Camelot go missing." Merlin said sarcastically, still with an armful of Gwen and now receiving a sad look from Gaius. Merlin shook his head to shake away the brief negative thought when Gwen finally came to her senses.

"Sorry, Merlin. I didn't mean to jump on you and hurt you. Not that I think you're not strong enough to hold me, I mean…" Gwen stuttered while detaching herself from their awkward embrace. "Sorry," she whispered sheepishly.

Merlin just smiled at her and would have reassured her but there was a knock at the door. Which was followed by an immediate opening of said door by Prince Arthur followed by some of the guards.

"Sorry Gaius. I know you didn't take the-" He broke off, taking in the rather close position that Gwen and Merlin were still in. The two collectively took an awkward step away from each other. Arthur gave Merlin a look that screamed that he probably would be polishing already polished armor for the jealous not jealous knight all night (leave me be, I wanted to write that). Merlin returned Arthur's look with rolling his eyes which proceeded to Arthur shaking his head and then continuing his initial mission.

"As you probably know and have informed those two, the dragon scale that Lord and Lady Reynolds had brought to the king was stolen from their chambers not even a few moments before. It's very likely that whomever stole this is still in the castle so if you would please just let us look quickly we'll be in and out."

Gaius nodded his head and then he, Merlin and Gwen all stepped out of the way and Merlin stiffened when the search began. It was a nervousness that he wasn't sure he'll ever shake since the first time he left his magic book out in the open. Arthur looked through some of Gaius' things before quickly entering Merlin's room. Merlin tensed even more when Arthur began moving some of his stuff around. He wasn't worried about the dragon scale at the moment.

He heard Gwen whisper to him. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

Merlin glanced down at her quickly before returning his gaze to his room. "I don't have much Gwen but what I do have, I don't like it being looked through so roughly." Merlin half lied. It was true that he would rather have Arthur not go through his stuff but if something was found in that room, it would be his books on magic, the staff of the Sidhe and a seashell that looks like a dragon scale. All pretty damning evidence that would paint Merlin as a thief and a sorceror.

Gwen nodded her head in understanding but also gave Merlin a pointed look at his shoulders. When he focused on them he noticed just how stiff he was. He forced himself to relax and mumbled a quick 'thank you' to Gwen. No sooner did he relax was when Arthur came out of his room and called his men off.

"Alright, there's nothing here. Sorry to waste your time, Gaius." Arthur said sincerely.

"It's understandable, sire." Gaius said with a slight bow of his head.

"But still, it was an inconvenience to your work." Arthur responded solemnly though he did give a confused look at Gaius' worktable as he did not understand what all these glass bottles were filled with. Then he turned his attention towards Merlin. "My room is a mess and I need you to bring dinner to my room tonight. With what is going on, I need to show that I'm actively working on finding the scale which means I won't have the time to dine with everyone else." He then turned to follow his men out, beckoning Merlin to follow over his shoulder. Merlin followed Arthur but not before casting a quick smirk towards Gwen and Gaius and loudly complaining,

"What? You're not sorry that your search was an inconvenience to my work as well, sire?" Merlin could hear Gwen giggling and could feel Gaius' amused shake of his head as Arthur responded.

"Of course not, Merlin! You work for me. You're time is my time."

"Prat." Merlin muttered under his breath as Arthur sent him towards his rooms and then went off to go ransack other people's rooms.

After being dragged to witness the polite ransacking of several rooms where knights and nobles were staying, Arthur finally released Merlin to do the rest of his chores. Merlin didn't understand why exactly Arthur kept him close for those rooms but he wouldn't complain as it gave him some insight into the search of the scale. So far it seemed like the people who did not know about the scale to begin with, don't actually have the scale. So servants, newer knights and squires who were hopelessly confused at the search most likely had nothing to do eith the scale's disappearance. On his journey towards Arthur's rooms, Merlin was sidetracked by Morgana. She came rushing down the hallway towards Merlin, her eyes alight with anger that was not directed towards Merlin but he recognized he was going to feel the force of it since he was in her path. She marched straight up to him in the conveniently empty hallway that was lit by torches that needed to be replaced soon; their glow was dim at best, eerie at worst.

"Lady Morgana!" He called out, "What happened?" Then Merlin realized with a sinking feeling that that was going to be a question that was asked a lot today.

"The servants are losing their minds with this search Merlin! They had no idea that the dragon scale existed and yet Uther is convinced it must be a servant who stole it!" She announced outraged. Her eyes were furious.

Merlin sighed. "I know. Arthur already checked mine and Gaius' rooms so hopefully we'll be safe from their more aggressive attempts…" Merlin trailed off at Morgana's horrified look. "What did they do?"

Morgana's anger seemed to rekindle, "Gwen keeps some of her belongings in the antechamber and they were looked through when we were there not even seconds ago. We walked out of the room on request of the Knights and upon returning, Gwen's belongings were destroyed, Merlin!"

Merlin felt a flush of anger and fear course through him at the same time. If the Knights were willing to go that far to destroy a maid's belongings, then they were willing to go the extra lengths to destroy anything to find the scale. No matter how important and helpful it is to Camelot.

Morgana seemed to share his thoughts because they both turned and ran back towards the Physician's chambers. Their feet made loud echoing sounds in the empty, stone hallways and Merlin wondered if this was the reason as to why Arthur wanted him out of the way. He didn't think he'd encourage his knights to destroy others' personal belongings but with the threat the dragon scale poses to them and Arthur's lack of regard for others, Merlin did not hold out much hope.

Both Merlin and Morgana whipped open the physician's door to find a horrific sight.

The room was in chaos. Remedies were smashed on the ground, the bench was broken in half as if some knight thought the dragon scale had somehow magicked itself in between the planks of wood. All of the books were no longer on the shelves and we're strewn across the room. Pages were ripped out and carelessly thrown to the side. Merlin noted that there was a large amount of ash in the fireplace that he cleaned this morning and he knew Gaius and himself did not light it at all today. It was like sitting in the room after the Witchfinder only it was worse. Because standing in the room with his back turned to Merlin and Morgana was Gaius himself who was witnessing firsthand again, the orders of a king who has lost his mind in response to magic.

Gaius did not turn around to face Merlin or Morgana. He was too busy wondering why Uther would order such a thing so soon after the witchfinder.

Morgana was frozen in fear at witnessing the King's crazed orders,

And Merlin.

Merlin had already felt extreme sadness at a similar sight and now it was replaced with anger.

Anger at the king. Anger at Arthur. Anger at the Lord and Lady who brought the dragon scale. Anger at whomever stole the stupid scale to begin with. His fists clenched at his sides, fingernails digging into his palms leaving angry crescent moon shaped marks. Deep inside his soul his magic flared up in response to his high emotions, ready to unleash to rectify the situation immediately. But that would cause suspicion and after this mess, that would be the last thing Gaius needs. Merlin knew this. Which is why he turned around and left the physician chambers without a word to Gaius and Morgana. He didn't know what he would say to Arthur when he saw him again, even though he had faith that this wasn't his fault. A part of him didn't care because his home was destroyed again. All in efforts to eliminate magic from Camelot.


End file.
